Tracey Bortoft who was bitten by an insect 2 YEARS ago is left housebound

Tracey Bortoft, 39, was bitten by an insect in May last year. Within 10 minutes her health had deteriorated and was rushed to hospital later in the day with huge swelling

A mother-of-four was left her housebound, unable to walk and still in agonising pain nearly two years after being bitten by an insect.

Tracey Bortoft, 39, was in Liverpool last year when she discovered two tiny puncture wounds on her right calf.

Within 10 minutes her health had rapidly deteriorated and she was later rushed to hospital with huge swelling and blisters on her leg.

More than a year and a half later, she claims she is still housebound and barely able to walk thanks to the mystery insect.

She also claims that doctors have still been unable to identify what insect has caused her to suffer.

Mrs Bortoft also said she was refused an appointment at a specialist tropical medicine clinic because she was not bitten abroad.

However, the hospital have denied this would ever be the case.

Mrs Bortoft, from Blackburn said: ‘It’s had a devastating impact on my life. I can hardly walk, and if I put it down on the floor I can suffer with shooting pains for the whole day.

‘There’s no time for a family home life now. I stay inside all day.

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‘I used to be very sociable, now I don’t like going out. My husband bought me a mobility scooter, but I hate going out with it.

‘I’m 39, I shouldn’t need to use one.

‘I feel embarrassed. I’ve arranged with the school to pick my kids up from the office so I don’t have to go into the yard and see the other parents.

‘The kids have gotten used to it, but they still ask me why I can’t do things with them, why I can’t play football with them. They ask “Why can’t they make me better?”’

More than a year and a half later, she claims she is still housebound and barely able to walk thanks to the mystery insect. Mrs Bortoft also said she was refused an appointment at a specialist tropical medicine clinic because she was bitten in the UK – not abroad

She was in Liverpool for her nephew’s birthday in May last year when she felt a nip on her right lower calf.

Just 10 minutes later her and husband Brett, 34, were rushing home to Blackburn as she felt unwell and within an hour it was agony for her to put her foot on the ground.

By 7pm the same evening the pain was so unbearable that she was rushed to the AE before being moved to an emergency care ward.

She spent 11 days in hospital and developed a huge burn-like sore before the bite became an angry blister.

Her blisters only began to subside five and a half weeks after she was first admitted to hospital.

Ms Bortoft also has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, lymphedema and suffers from short term memory loss and fatigue. 

She now regularly visits a dermatologist, physiotherapist and a psychologist for treatment. 

She spent 11 days in hospital and developed a huge burn-like sore before the bite became an angry blister (her leg pictured while in hospital)

Mrs Bortoft said: ‘It’s had a devastating impact on my life. I can hardly walk, and if I put it down on the floor I can suffer with shooting pains for the whole day’

Ms Bortoft said: ‘The bite didn’t hurt straight away, but it looked like two little puncture wounds, almost like a snake bite.

‘Within minutes I started to go downhill and feel nauseous.

‘My family told me I looked like death. We stopped at a pharmacy on the way to get some antihistamines, and I slept on the way home.

‘Then it started to get painful. I was feeling sick, and it was agony to put my foot down.

‘This was only about an hour after the bite. By the time I got to hospital the pain was worse than childbirth.

‘I was in agony and my heart was going way too fast. I was screaming at the doctors to get off when they touched me because it was so bad.

‘As the wound progressed, it looked like a huge burn. I was in so much pain.’

Since being discharged from hospital she claims she has tried to obtain a consultation at Liverpool’s School of Tropical Medicine.

But allegedly she was told in a letter from her GP the centre would only see patients bitten abroad.

The letter from her GP, at St George’s Surgery in Haslingden, states ‘further to my referral for you to the School of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool, we received a call from them to inform us that they only see patients who have been bitten by insects abroad and therefore they would not be able to see you as you were bitten in this country’.

But the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the NHS clinic at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, have denied they refused to see Tracey on these grounds.

The letter from her GP, St George’s Surgery in Haslingden, states ‘further to my referral for you to the School of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool, we received a call from them to inform us that they only see patients who have been bitten by insects abroad and therefore they would not be able to see you as you were bitten in this country’

And Mrs Bortoft is convinced that whatever bug was responsible for her suffering – it was definitely something from abroad.

She added: ‘We just want another opinion, for a specialist to see us for even just five minutes to put our minds at rest.

TICK-INDUCED MEAT ALLERGY

Experts warn tick-induced meat allergies – which can be deadly – are becoming more and more common in areas infested by the insects.

Those who suffer from a ‘tick-induced mammalian meat allergy’ won’t notice the allergy at first due to its delayed reaction.

However, after up to 10 hours after consuming red meat – some immune systems become sensitive to proteins in the parasite’s saliva and develop anaphylaxis.

It is the most extreme and severe form of allergic reaction and takes over the entire body within minutes. 

‘I think it was definitely something from abroad that bit me.

‘We’re hoping that somebody out there will see the pictures and know what it is. We need answers and closure.

‘The longer it goes on, the harder it gets.’

A spokesman for Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust said: ‘Mrs Bortoft was referred to the NHS Tropical clinic at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine where her case was reviewed by one of our consultants.

‘She had already been under the care of another consultant and as her condition was not related to a tropical illness, she would not have benefited from our specialist advice.

‘Mrs Bortoft’s condition can be treated at her local hospital, closer to her home.

‘This information was relayed to her GP. We would not refuse to see any patient simply because they had not been bitten or stung overseas if we felt that our tropical expertise could be beneficial.

‘We understand Mrs Bortoft’s distress and we wish her a speedy recovery.’

A spokesman for St George’s Surgery said: ‘We received a phone call from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine informing us that as the patient had been bitten while in this country, they would be unable to see her and this was followed up by an email which stated ‘as the above patient was bitten in the UK, the consultant advised that it would not be appropriate for her to be seen here.’